Cap closure



Mar'h 4, 1.952 c. M. KosTER V2,587,737

CAP cLosuRE Filed Nov. 26, 1947 FIG. 6 7 2| 26 2 28 l i9 IVENTOR. 23 GURTIS M. KOSTER,

ATTOR NEY Patented Mar. 4, 1952 CAP loiLosURE Curtis M. Koster, San Francisco, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Breda, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Application November 26, 1947, serial No. 788,131

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to closures for containers and more particularly to bottle and Yjar closures and the like, and has as its principal object the provision of such closures which can quickly and effectively seal the bottle contents and can be utilized for an indefinite number of times, thus. permitting the bottle to be resealed after. portions of its contents have been removed.

` Closures of the general type describedv have been. dsclo'sedin the prior art, but such closures have usually been of the type in which a sealing ring is mounted upon a cap, and have had numerous disadvantages among which may be ineluded; surface exposure of moving parts, rendering, injury to the cooperating functioning of the parts likely. Such devices have also had insufficient contact surface with the container to effect seal, particularly when pressure exists within' the container, and have also had the disadvantage that the rotatable member is positioned externally of the` cap.

In accordance with the invention a closure is provided which obviates many of the disadvantages of the prior art. In carrying out my invention Iprovide an outer cap, preferably of metal or plastic, but which may be of any desired material having the requisite strength. With this cap is fitted a second cap which is spaced therefrom and concentric therewith. This inner cap may also. be ofY metal or other suitable material. The inner cap is rotatably or otherwise secured withinthe outer cap and functions as the actual sealing member,v while the outer cap surrounds and v'protects the inner cap while at the same time functioning to tighten and seal the inner cap by dilerential rotation.

The invention is described in detail in the accompanying drawings wherein .Figure l is an elevation of one form of the closure looking intov its open end, prior to rotation of. the cap and. representing its normal unlsealed position.

Figure 2 is an open-ended elevation of the closure in al locked condition illustrating its sealed position.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section taken along line 3 3l o f Fig. 2 showing. the closure in locked vposition over the neck of a bottle shown in dotted lines.v

Figure 4,-i's an. open-ended elevation of the-'inner sealing cap showing the construction of the sealing prongs or strips.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross section along the same axis as Fig. 3but showing a modified form of the invention with respect to the manner of holding the inner cap within the outer cap.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the neck of a bottle having one form of my improved closure aiilxed thereto.

Figu're 7 isl an isometric view in elevation of one element of the modification of Fig. 6.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings,v and describing rst the form of the invention described inFigures 1-4 inclusive, numeral I0 represents the outer cap positioned over the neck ofv a bottle. Positioned within and concentric withthe outer cap is inner cap member I2 which is alxed to and rotatably held within. cap II) yby rivet I3 which extends through the top of the cap as shown and is attached to the top ofthe inner cap so that it is rotatable about the axis of the rivet or other similar fastening means. The inner cap is normally spaced a certain distance from the outer cap as. shown at 22. The inner cap is kept from upward movement by shoulder I4 formed on the inner cap andr keptv from downward movement by the head of the rivet or other fastening means.

The outer cap, Il) is formed with a plurality of lugs or projections I5`y extending inwardly of the wall of the cap and preferably having a rounded or earn-like configuration. The inner cap I2 is formed with a plurality of arms or prongs I6 which project from the sides of circumferentially spaced Webs Ilia which are integral with the top of the inner cap I2 and dependent therefrom. Preferably the cap and prongs are stamped from a single sheetof metal and the prongs are formed by slotting, as at. I1. and I8, and are shaped so as to be normally urged circumferentially outward. The cap is of springlike metal so that when the prongs are compressed inwardly they will reform a circle and when the pressure is released will again be. circumferentially deformed. Each. prong has a ribor boss I9 formed longitudinally thereof and projecting inwardly to en.- gage the neck of a bottle or other container, or

to engage beneath an annular rib formed at the lip of a bottle. Each prong also is curved outwardly at its end at 20 for a purpose which will be explained below. The inner cap has a top liner of a gasket material 2Imade of cork, rubber, or the like, which serves to `seal the top of the container.

The sealing action of the closure may be illustrated with reference to Figures l and 2. In normally open position, the inner cap is dimensioned so as to lit over the top of the container and preferably fits snugly and is applied with aslight pressure. In the open position the tips 2D of the prongs IB extend into space 22 between the inner and outer caps. At the same time the inner cap is retained against rotation in one direction by the engagement of curved tips 20 against projections I5, as shownin Fig. 2.

After the cap is applied over the container opening, let us say the neck of a bottle, the outer cap may be rotated as illustrated, in a clockwise direction (looking from the top down) or in a counter-clockwise direction (looking up into the open end). By the application of a slight pressure the friction between the inner cap and the top of the container opening will permit the outer cap to rotate with respect to the inner cap thus forcing projections I5 to ride over prongs I6 forcing them inward and causing the ribs I9 to engage the neck of the container or bottle. When intended to be applied over bottles having an annular rib around the opening, these ribs are dimensioned to fit over and under said annular rib so that the cap will be clamped against the top when the rib members are engaged. The presence of the gasket material will form a tight, pressure-resistant seal.

The inner cap is retained against further rotation in the closing direction by the engagement of the curved tips 20 of the prongs with the other side of the projections I5 as shown in Fig. 3. Thus it will be seen that the outside walls of the inner cap, which are formed by prongs I6, slidably engage lugs I5 which exert a cam action thereon, forcing them into circular shape to form the walls of the inner cap. The prongs thus form a complete circle about the neck of the container causing firm engagement thereof. In view of the fact that the entire clamping mechanism is enclosed by the outer cap it is protected from bending or other damage, and the entire assembly presents an ornamental appearance with an outer surface of continuous configuration. The inner cap itself is shown in Figure 4, which shows the structure and arrangement of the engaging plIOl'lgS.

In Fig. 5 a modication of the invention is shown wherein the inner cap is rotatably supported within the outer cap, not by an axial rivet or other means as in Fig. 3, but merely by offset portions at the bottom of lugs I5, shown at 23, which engage the edges of prongs I6. The assembly is formed by inserting the inner cap within the outer cap and then oifsetting the bottom or the projections or lugs so as to rotatably retain the inner cap within the outer cap.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, wherein I0 represents the outer cap positioned over the neck of bott1e II. Positioned within and concentric with the outer cap is inner cap member I2 which is held in position by an inner ring member I2a. Inner cap I2 has positioned on the inner face-of its top portion a gasket material 2l whichflts over the lip edge 24 of the bottle or other container. The

inner cap is so shaped that the gasket material is depressed and engages the inner edge of the bottle mouth as shown at 25. In the form shown the central portion of the top of the inner cap is depressed as shown at 26 to accomplish this purpose. In order to permit engagement between outer and inner cap and to provide ready rotation the central depressed portion of the cap rises to a peak as at 2l and this point serves as a center of rotation. This peaked portion may be omitted and the inner and outer caps may engage along the top corner of the inner cap at 28. The inner cap is formed with prongs I6 and ribs or bosses I9 as described in Figures 1 4 to engage the neck of the bottle. Instead of cams or lugs I5 integral with the inner cap for depressing prongs I6, an inner ring I2a shown in Fig. 7 mat7 be provided which, after positioning inner cap I2 within the outer cap, is pressed into engagement with the inner rim of the outer cap and is rigidly held either by the press t or by welding, brazing or the like. This ring has projections I5 formed therein which correspond to the lugs described in Figs. 1 4 and perform the same function. The ring is formed with a flange 2 9 which extends inwardly sufficiently at 3I to overlap and engage the edge 3l of the inner cap serving to hold itin place. After asesmbly, the bottom edge of the outer cap may be turned in slightly to overlap and engage the ring as at 32 so as to hold it firmly in position. The form of the invention described in Fig. 1 provides a tighter fit and more gasketing surface than that provided in Figs. 3-6 due to the fact that the engagement is not only with the top surface of the lip of the container but also with a portion of the inner surface thereof. Thus this form will be more resistant to pressure within the container and more leak-proof, especially if particles of foreign material should be present on the top surface of the opening. It is also apparent that any internal stresses would be exerted against the peaked portion of the inner cap and against the top of the outer cap, in turn serving merely to hold the cap more tightly against the container. The greater Contact surface also serves to provide a better grip when applying the cap to the container.

From the foregoing disclosure it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the invention as covered by the appended claim.

I claim:

A closure member for containers comprising an .outer cap member having a depending cylindrical flange, an inner` cap member concentrically arranged in spaced relation to said outer member and mounted for relative rotative movement therewith, a plurality of circumferentially spaced webs integral with said inner member and depending therefrom, an elongate arcuate arm integral with each web, and extending from one side of the web, with the free ends of said arcuate arms extending into the space between said outer and inner cap members, said arcuate arms being yieldingly swingable about their vertically disposed lines of joinder with said webs to bring them into a position of substantial concentricity with said cylindrical flange, a plurality of spaced projections on the flange of the outer cap member extending into the, space between the cap members and operable upon rotation of the outer cap to swing said arcuate arms inwardly of7'said inner cap member, said arcuate Varms being pro- 5 vided at their free ends with outwardly curved tips engageable with one side of said projections when the arcuate arms are in their normal position to prevent relative rotation between said cap members in one direction and engageable with the opposite sides of said projections to prevent further relative rotation between said cap members in the opposite direction after relative rotation between said cap members in said opposite direction has swung said arcuate arms to a position of concentricity with the flange of the outer member.

CURTIS M. KOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number vName Date Jebsen Mar. 26, 1907 Cordes Feb. 25, 1908 Lundquist May 5, 1908 Weissenthanner Jan. 7, 1913 Carlson Aug. 8, 1922 Atwood Dec. 7, 1926 Hanahan Oct. 3, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Dec. 13, 1882 Switzerland Jan. 15, 1939 Great Britain Apr. 22, 1938 

